2 Days at the Oregon Coast

A visit by a friend or family can always lead to an adventure. Where we normally would spend time our time working around the house or sitting at home, when an out of towner comes around we feel obligated to show them the best of where we live.Lucky for us we have an enormous amount to show in Oregon. No matter what type of landscape suits you best, Oregon has some version of it. The desert plains and arid mountain ranges in Eastern Oregon, the high amount of volcanoes dotting the Cascade Mountain range, and the intense clash between ocean and land at the Oregon Coast are only a few of those landscapes.

Paul Keith had an opportunity to work in Seattle for a week, so he left Plymouth, Massachusetts along the eastern coastline and headed to the Northwest. When the work was over he took some time to come down and relax in Portland. Being an avid ocean lover, we felt it was only right to show him what the coastline looks like on the other side of the country. These photos were taken on two different journeys we took out to the North side of Oregon Coast. All of it is within 2 hours from downtown Portland.

The town of Neskowin is small, but has a lot of value. The beach is long, but in one area lies Proposal Rock and signs of an ancient old growth forest swallowed by sand and waves.Â The beach at Neskowin is divided by a river that empties into the ocean and a large rock that stands high at the waters edge with a thick forest growing on top. Sherry and her dad Paul enjoy the view as the sun slowly creeps behind the rock, creating a great opportunity for a silhouette.

In between Astoria and Seaside, on the north side of the Oregon Coast, lies an old Fort which was dedicated a state park. The coastline stretches far from the mouth of the Columbia down to the edge of Seaside. One spot that we always find interesting is an old shipwreck; an old steel ship sailing from Mexico that met its demise in 1906 off the Oregon coast. Over the years the skeleton of the ship has faded, but the bow remains pretty well intact considering.

A quick stop just south of Cannon Beach at Hug Point shows a small beach closed in by rock cliffs. Depending on the tides you can hike around the cliffs to find yourself enclosed in a scene from a pirate movie. Caves that have been hollowed out by incoming waves, living tide pools, and a waterfall that crashes down on the beach from the snow melt in the mountains above.